A Hwange magistrate has sentenced a 29-year-old local man to nine years in prison for the illegal possession of 12 pieces of ivory weighing over 24 kilograms.
Hwange Provincial magistrate, Shella Nazombe found Norman Tshuma of Magoli village in Hwange guilty of contravening section 82 of the Parks and Wildlife Regulations.
The regulations prohibit the acquisition, possession or transfer of unmarked raw ivory without a permit.
According to court papers, the police were tipped off about Tshuma’s involvement in a spate of unlawful entry crimes in Luveve.
On January 3, police details proceeded to search the accused’s homestead and found 12 pieces of ivory.
Tshuma confessed that he had killed three elephants in December last year.